‘The Innocent Man': Netflix Sets December Launch for Docuseries Based on John Grisham Book

Netflix has set a December launch for its new six-part true crime docuseries “The Innocent Man,” the streamer announced on Monday.

Premiering Dec. 14, the series is based on John Grisham’s best-selling non-fiction book, “The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town.” The book tells the story of Ronald Keith Williamson, a man wrongfully convicted of rape and murder who spent 11 years on death row before he was exonerated.

Directed by Clay Tweel, the project features interviews with the victims’ friends and families, residents of the Oklahoma town where the crimes were committed, attorneys, journalists, and others involved in the cases. Grisham will also appear.

Tweel and Ross Dinerstein developed and executive produced the series. It is produced by Maura Anderson and Shannon Riggs, with Grisham and David Gernert also executive producing.

“As a filmmaker I often find that the best stories are the ones we tell ourselves, but what surprised me was the extent to which that idea also permeates the criminal justice system,” said Tweel. “By re-examining these old cases I hope that viewers will identify the biases involved, even their own.”

“The documentary series of The Innocent Man is gripping, compelling, and ultimately just as heartbreaking as the book. Though I know the story well, I can’t wait to watch it again,” added Grisham.

'Making a Murderer' Part 2: 37 Updates Since the Series' Debut (Photos)

After nearly three years, "Making a Murderer Part 2" is here. Before you dive back into Netflix's true-crime phenomenon, here's a look back at how the original docuseries changed the lives of Steven Avery and his nephew Brendan Dassey, who were convicted for the 2005 murder of Teresa Halbach.

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Making a Murderer Premieres

The documentary was released on Netflix Dec. 18, 2015. It has since received an approval rating of 97 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.

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Ken Kratz Bashed on Yelp

A week after "Making a Murderer" premiered, fans took to Yelp to warn potential new clients against hiring Steven Avery's prosecutor.

A White House Petition circulated shortly after the series' release, seeking pardons of both Avery and Dassey. It required 100,000 signatures before Jan. 19 to reach eligibility for an official White House review.

Although the White House Petition to pardon Avery reached the requisite number of signatures, President Barack Obama was constitutionally barred from taking action, because Avery was convicted in state court.

In February 2016, TheWrap obtained transcripts from a May 13, 2006 interview, in which Dassey told police that Avery sometimes tried to grab his penis “through the pants.” In a phone call later that day to his mother, Barb Tadych, Dassey said he told police that Avery “would grab me somewhere where I was uncomfortable.”

Avery prosecutor Ken Kratz and Michael Griesbach, the assistant district attorney responsible for helping Avery get out of jail in his first case, both wrote tell-all books chronicling the case and its representation in "Making a Murderer."

Kratz told Dr. Drew that he had suicidal thoughts after “this whole thing kind of blew up,” referring to the Avery Case and an Associated Press report exposing racy texts he sent to a 25-year-old woman while Kratz was prosecuting her ex-boyfriend.

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Prison Emails Are Released

In June 2016, USA Today obtained more than 1,900 pages of emails after the publication requested the documents under state open records laws. The paper asked for emails sent or received by staff that pertained to Avery, Dassey or “Making a Murderer.”

Federal magistrate judge William E. Duffin granted Dassey’s writ for a petition of habeas corpus, finding that his imprisonment was unlawful because his confession to the murder of Teresa Halbach was involuntary.

In reaching that decision, Duffin wrote that the “misconduct” of Len Kachinsky, Dassey’s court-appointed attorney, was “indefensible.”

On Aug. 27, 2016, Zellner filed a motion demanding physical evidence from the murder of Teresa Halbach for further scientific testing that she claims didn’t exist during the trial.

In the filing, Zellner revealed that “Mr. Avery has already completed a series of tests that will conclusively establish his innocence” and that she intends to reveal the identity of an alternate suspect once she has the test results.

On Sept. 2, 2016, Zellner tweeted a picture of a man she helped exonerate in a murder case, who held a sign saying "It is over." A spokesperson from the Wisconsin DOJ denied all media speculation about the fate of Dassey.

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State Will Appeal Dassey's Overturned Conviction

The state of Wisconsin said they would appeal Dassey's overturned conviction, saying that his confession "was voluntary and the investigators did not use constitutionally impermissible tactics."

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Avery Gets Engaged

On Sept. 24, 2016, news broke that Avery is engaged to be married. The lucky lady is Lynn Hartman, identified as a legal secretary — which might come in handy — from Las Vegas. The couple reportedly dated for eight months, but only met in person once.

According to court documents obtained by TheWrap, U.S. Magistrate Judge William E. Duffin granted Dassey’s motion for release -- conditional upon his supervision by the U.S. Probation Office. Dassey will not be allowed to obtain a passport and can only travel in the court’s Eastern District of Wisconsin. He is not allowed to possess a weapon or any controlled substances.

Dassey appeared headed home for Thanksgiving 2016 after the judge in his case rejected the state’s latest motion.

According to a Wisconsin Department of Justice release obtained by TheWrap, Dassey will be discharged from prison no later than Friday at 8 p.m. Attorney General Brad Schimel plans to file an emergency motion on Wednesday in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit seeking a stay of this release order.

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Nope, He Won't Be Home For Thanksgiving

On Nov. 17, 2016, the judge ordered that Dassey remain in prison pending an appeal of his overturned conviction, Attorney General Brad Schimel said.

“Moments ago, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit granted the State of Wisconsin’s motion to stay U.S. Magistrate Judge William Duffin’s order to release Mr. Brendan Dassey. Mr. Dassey will remain in prison pending the outcome of the appeal,” Schimel’s office said in a release.

In June 2017, a federal appeals court upheld the ruling that Dassey’s conviction was coerced and he should be released from prison.

The majority of the three-judge panel agreed with Judge William Duffin’s August ruling that Dassey’s confession of the murder of Teresa Halbach was involuntary and that investigators violated Dassey’s rights.

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State Requests Rehearing in Dassey's Case

In July 2017, the Wisconsin Department of Justice requested a rehearing by the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit after the federal appeals court said his conviction was coerced.

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Avery Denied New Trial

In October 2018, Avery was denied a new trial by a Wisconsin judge.

Judge Angela Sutkiewicz ruled that Avery had failed “to establish any grounds that would trigger the right to a new trial in the interests of justice.”

Zellner then told TheWrap that she would be filing a motion to vacate the judge’s order and that she plans to conduct further testing and amend his petition with new witness affidavits.

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Judge Rejects Avery's Bid For New Trial, Again

In November 2017, Avery's request for a new trial was rejected by Judge Sutkiewicz again.

According to the Post-Crescent, the ruling comes after Zellner appealed her filings to a higher court.

Supreme Court Declines to Hear Brendan Dassey's Case

In June 2018, the Supreme Court of the United States declined to hear Brendan Dassey’s murder case. As is typical for such denials, no reason was given for passing on the appeal.

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Avery Denied a Trial, Again

In September 2018, Avery was denied a new trial by Sheboygan County Circuit Court judge Angela Sutkiewicz.

According to the Post-Crescent, Avery's attorneys sought to supplement the record with a CD they argued contains "exculpatory, material evidence" that was reportedly only disclosed to them in April. Avery's attorney, Kathleen Zellner, argued that the state failed to disclose the disc and violated his right to a fair trial, therefore arguing for a new trial.

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Netflix Will Release a Second Season

Netflix officially announced a season season in September 2018. "Making a Murderer Part 2" will hit Netflix globally on Oct. 19.

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Catch up before you dive back into the lives of Steven Avery and Brendan Dassey

After nearly three years, "Making a Murderer Part 2" is here. Before you dive back into Netflix's true-crime phenomenon, here's a look back at how the original docuseries changed the lives of Steven Avery and his nephew Brendan Dassey, who were convicted for the 2005 murder of Teresa Halbach.